A study has validated and verified two gas-phase hydroxyl radical processes for inactivating Salmonella and several avian pathogens on poultry hatchery eggs without affecting the egg hatch rate or development of hatched chicks, providing a viable alternative to traditionally used, hazardous and toxic formaldehyde treatments.
USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS) sampled and tested meat, chicken, and Siluriformes fish (catfish) for 16 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), detecting “forever chemicals” in less than 0.2–0.3 percent of all sample types except wild-caught catfish, of which nearly half contained at least one PFAS.
A study led by researchers from the University of Antwerp has found that ultra-processed plant-based foods contain high levels of organophosphorus flame retardants and plasticizers in comparison to their animal-based analogs, but a dietary exposure risk assessment did not raise a health concern for the adult population, including vegans.
To inform the broader third Intestinal Infectious Disease Survey (IID3), the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) conducted a study to calculate burden estimates for four foodborne pathogens: enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC), sapovirus, hepatitis A virus, and Toxoplasma gondii.
Researchers funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and led by the University at Buffalo have created a filtration system that can effectively remove 90 and 80 percent of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from groundwater and sewage, respectively. It is more effective and cost- and resource-efficient than activated carbon filtration.
A Center for Produce Safety-funded proof-of-concept study is exploring a novel, high-throughput capture and concentration method for hepatitis A virus in fruit wash water, which uses magnets and hydrogel nanoparticles. It could be added to existing FDA and ISO digital PCR assay workflows, potentially reducing false positives.
Using a specially designed framework, researchers from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign analyzed and characterized how food businesses are responding to the emerging patchwork of disparate state regulations on additives, labeling, and manufacturing. They cautioned about the unintended consequences borne by the complexity of complying with individualistic state-level policies.
Harmonization of precautionary allergen labeling (PAL) requires the acceptance of reference doses for priority allergens. A new study found that PAL based on specific FAO/WHO-recommended thresholds would only elicit mild to moderate reactions in a small proportion of the allergic population.
A study demonstrated the toxic effects of exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in worms—but not all PFAS were found to be equally toxic, and not all worms experienced the same harms. Identifying which genes cause PFAS susceptibility in both worms and humans could speed up PFAS testing and regulation.
Researchers from UCLA have found that chewing gum can release hundreds to thousands of microplastic particles per piece into saliva—no matter if the gum is made of synthetic or natural, plant-based polymers.
